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I have been issued a windows based laptop which is locked down tight and does not allow any applications to be installed.

I managed to get an xUbuntu virtualbox installed using a memory key to download from my private computer and copied over to my work computer. Linux is also blocked and I can't install anything using apt-get.

Now, I need to install some Linux favorites like the quake terminal emulator and sshfs.

Can anyone advice if it's possible to download those and other packages without using the apt-get package installer?

sisko
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  • You'd probably be better asking your IT staff or the VirtualBox software to be installed. There are usually good reasons for laptops to be locked down tightly, at least in a corporate environment. – Chris Davies Nov 13 '15 at 11:09
  • What exactly do you mean by "Linux is also block" and "I can't install anything using apt-get"? does that mean you don't have sudo access on your VM? have you tried booting the VM with "init=/bin/bash"? – cas Nov 13 '15 at 11:14

2 Answers2

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You might be able to setup a ssh session to your private computer, and use it as a SOCKS proxy:

ssh -fD 8080 user@privatecomputer

Then setup your terminal to use a proxy:

export http_proxy="http://localhost:8080"
export https_proxy="https://localhost:8080"
export ftp_proxy="http://localhost:8080"

Then try to use apt-get again.

If you normally use sudo to use apt-get you might need to use the following:

visudo
#add the following line to the existing Defaults
Defaults env_keep = "http_proxy https_proxy ftp_proxy"
Lambert
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I feel your pain...

If you can use Lamberts method, go that route!

One way would be: move the image of the VM to your usb storage, start the VM on a PC with free internet access, install the packages as you normally would, then move the VM back to the restricted PC.

Alternatively you can download the packages manually and then install them via dpkg:

dpkg -i /path/tp/package.deb

Altough this can be a PITA if the package needs dependencies, which you must then also download and install...

Silent-Bob
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